A farm plastics recycling scheme which has run out of money must be given extra funding by the Government, it was claimed tonight.
More than half of all the waste plastic generated on farms this year has not been collected.
Labour Party Environment spokesman Eamon Gilmore said the scheme had been working well when it began in 1997 but had been faltering for some time.
"We are now in a situation where the scheme has collapsed and farmers who have already paid to have this plastic collected from their farms are being left with tonnes of recyclable waste on their hands," he said.
Around 55,000 farmers are taking part in the scheme by paying a levy on every tonne of plastic used for silage bale. The plastic was collected by Irish Farm Film Producers, a not-for-profit company and sent to Scotland for recycling into plastic packaging.
The scheme has grown in popularity among farmers with 12,500 tonnes of plastic collected so far this year, compared to 9,000 tonnes last year. But the income from the levy has not matched the increase in collections and the scheme has also been hit by the rise in smuggled farm plastic, which does not include the environmental levies. The scheme has been suspended until the end of the year.
Mr Gilmore said Environment Minister Dick Roche had to make up the funding shortfall.
"If the minister is serious about reaching EU targets for recycling, he must take the initiative in this matter," he said
The Irish Farmers Association (IFA) also called for financial support to be given to the scheme.
"We now need a targeted programme to collect the surplus plastic that has built up on farms over the last two years and to allow the collection service to restart its activities without delay," said national treasurer Padraig Walshe.
A Department of Environment spokesman said it was not normal Government practice to intervene in schemes like the farm plastic scheme which were the responsibility of producers.
"But we will be meeting with Irish Farm Film Producers to see if we can provide any assistance," he said.